Review of \u3ci\u3e The Nebraska Sand Hills: The Human Landscape\u3c/i\u3e by Charles Barron McIntosh

This is a remarkable volume. The ninety-first of 107 figures is a good example of what makes this book so remarkable. Figure 91 has a baker\u27s dozen (13) small hand-drawn sketches that show how different landowners went back to the land office and claimed an additional 480 acres (Kincaid additions) to expand their 160-acre homesteads into units that might be more viable in the semi-arid climate of central Nebraska. These 13 examples come from ten different counties, which sprawl over an area larger than three of the original 13 colonies (as illustrated in Figure 1, which goes the extra step of superimposing New England state borders on a standard Nebraska location map to give a subtle but welcomed increase in perspective). The other 105 maps are equivalently meticulous illustrations of topography, vegetation, projectile-point discoveries, journal entries, military expeditions, treaty cessions, cattle drives, land claims (under a bewildering variety of Federal and state laws), lake water chemistry, land frauds, ethnic clusters, and claim abandonments. The prose that ties these extraordinary maps together is replete with trenchant vignettes about surveyor\u27s errors that are evident in some apparently mistaken land claims, settlers\u27 perceptions of topographic sites, the architectural advantages of baled-hay houses, and the many ways in which frontier entrepreneurs were able to bend laws to accomplish goals that few in Washington or Lincoln seem to have conceived as either feasible or desirable. Woven through the maps and prose is a third parallel strand, a series of small bibliographic inserts that describe stages in the lives of a few key players who walked various parts of this huge stage while history swirled through the region

Wormholes no núcleo comum: racionalização espacial, alfabetização, educação matemática

The last decades of the 20th century witnessed a revolution in brain research. Using new scanning technologies, researchers learned that human spatial reasoning uses a number of separate brain structures that work at least somewhat independently, often simultaneously. Moreover, these brain structures and networks develop at different rates in different children, leading to significant individual differences in classroom performance on spatial tasks, including reading and various kinds of geometric/mathematical reasoning. Using this research as a basis, we designed new educational materials to promote spatial reasoning. In this paper, we describe an example: an age-scaffolded sequence of geography lessons, including a primary-school study of simple maps of African animals, several middle-school climate activities, and a high-school lesson about strategies to combat malaria and other tropical diseases in a time of global climate change. Our geography lessons were used in several high-poverty neighborhoods in New York City. Students in those classes also had significant gains in performance on standardized reading and math tests. While we cannot claim to have “proved” a causal link, the possibilities are intriguing. In this context, it is very important to note that the new Common Core curriculum in the United States is based on outdated research. As a result, it might actually discourage school administrators from trying experimental lessons of the kind described in this paper.Las últimas décadas del sigloXX fueron testigas de una revolución en la investigación del cerebro. Usando las nuevas tecnologías de escaneo los investigadores encontraron que el razonamiento espacial humano utiliza una serie de estructuras cerebrales apartadas que funcionan con cierta independencia, a menudo simultáneamente. Por otra parte, estas estructuras y las redes del cerebro se desarrollan a ritmos diferentes en cada niño, dando lugar a importantes diferencias individuales en el rendimiento de tareas espaciales dentro del aula, incluyendo la lectura y diversos tipos de razonamiento geométrico/matemático., Tomando como base esta investigación en neurociencia, diseñamos nuevos materiales educativos para promover el razonamiento espacial. En este artículo se describen los siguientes ejemplos: una secuencia de lecciones de geografía organizadas por edades que incluye un estudio de mapas sencillos de los animales Africanos para el nível de primaria, una serie de actividades relacionadas con el clima dirigidas a la básica secundaria y una lección acerca de las estrategias para combatir la malaria y otras enfermedades tropicales en una era de cambio climático global planeada para la media. Nuestras lecciones de geografía fueron aplicadas en varios barrios muy pobres de NuevaYork. Los estudiantes también alcanzaron logros significativos en el desempeño de lectura estandarizada y las pruebas de matemáticas. Si bien no podemos decir que se “demostró” una relación de causalidad, las posibilidades son muy interesantes. En este contexto, es importante tener en cuenta que el nuevo Currículo Básico Común en los Estados Unidos se basa en investigación obsoleta. Como resultado, la implementación de clases experiementales del tipo descrito en este artículo pueden desanimar a los administradores escolares.As últimas décadas do século 20 testemunharam uma revolução na pesquisa sobre o cérebro. Usando novas tecnologias de digitalização, pesquisadores descobriram que o raciocínio espacial humano usa um número de estruturas cerebrais separadas que trabalham de forma algo independente, muitas vezes simultaneamente. Além disso, essas estruturas e redes cerebrais se desenvolvem em ritmos diferentes em crianças diferentes, levando a significativas diferenças individuais no desempenho em sala de aula em tarefas espaciais, incluindo a leitura e vários tipos de raciocínio geométrico/ matemático. Usando esta pesquisa como uma base, nós projetamos novos materiais educacionais para promover o raciocínio espacial. Neste trabalho, nós descrevemos um exemplo: uma seqüência de lições de geografia relacionadas a certa idade, incluindo um estudo de escola primária de mapas simples de animais africanos, diversas atividades de ensino médio sobre o clima, e uma lição de ensino superior sobre as estratégias para combater a malária e outras doenças tropicais em uma época de mudanças climáticas globais. Nossas aulas de geografia foram aplicadas em vários bairros muito pobres de Nova York. Os alunos dessas classes também tiveram ganhos significativos no desempenho em leitura padronizada e testes de matemática. Embora não possamos afirmar que “provou” um nexo de causalidade, as possibilidades são intrigantes. Neste contexto, é muito importante notar que o novo Common Core Curriculum nos Estados Unidos é baseada em pesquisa desatualizada. Como resultado, pode realmente desencorajar os administradores da escola de tentar aulas experimentais do tipo descrito neste artigo

Geographic Information Systems, Data, and Water Resources

ABSTRACT-We evaluate three data handling methods for use in a GIS analysis of land-cover change impacts on runoff. A universe of 2560 point samples is analyzed to provide runoff calculations that would se1:7e _as a comparison base to evaluate different attribute logic systems. The attribute logics ~e evaluate are two va~1at1ons of tag and one of count. We chose a two by five mile area of Dakota County, Mmnesota as the test site, and prepared raster GIS maps of soil hydrologic groups and two plausible land covers. The count 1:1~thod for handling the generalization of data produced results that were substantially closer to the charactenst_1cs of the universe than either of the tag approaches. To minimize error in assessment of water resources with a GIS, analysts should start with primary data, control all phases of data manipulation, and use count methods to abstract large-area data